This is part of the electrical system found in a Tenanted house, and yes the two bare cables at the bottom of the photo were "live".

Believe it or not the bare cable running from the socket to the incoming water pipe is the main earth for the entire house.
This was in a rental house and the Landlords Agent had new Tenants moving in the next day.
When told it was unacceptable the Agent questioned our competency and asked for a second opinion.

This is what happens when you put a 40amp MCB on a 2.5 radial circuit.

This socket controlled the Tenants cooker and he used it to boil his kettle. The Landlords agent said it was safe.

Main isolators for a Tenanted property, note the earth wire wrapped around the cables at the top.No earth at all.

This cable was under kitchen units in a private house. It was "Live" and connected to a unused 40amp cooker circuit and had been left like this by the "qualified kitchen fitters".

The cable sticking through the wall is "live" and the Tenant did not know.

This is the main fuse-board for a Tenanted house, note the earth wires loosely twisted together.

A nifty bit of wiring in a Tenanted house.

A main fuse holder in a Tenanted property, falling of the wall and no earth to PME.

This is one of a series of emergency lights in a block of flats, believe it or not the lights had been serviced a week before a emergency light maintenance company...the light was nearly melting when I got there, I was called by a Tenant who smelt a "hot smell".